GUILTY Parents who killed their child and then covered it up

[dutchhelp]

Between 2003 and 2009, in the Netherlands, Sietske H. killed her 4 babies, each time shortly after giving birth. The babies were found in suitcases in the attic of her parents house, she hid all pregnancies and was afraid relatives would find out she had a baby. When the family moved she even moved the babies to the new house.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/03/sietske-h-dutch-mother-killed-babies_n_857016.html

 

[Rayemonde]

Destiny Spicknall, 3 years old, and Richard Spicknall III, 2 years old, 1999, Maryland.

Richard Spicknall II told police that he was carjacked by an armed hitchhiker, who pushed him off a bridge into a river and then took off with his two children in the car. The children were found with gunshot wounds half a mile away.

Skeptical residents were quick to poke holes in the emerging account, noting the height of the bridge (about 50 feet at its highest point), the Choptank's strong and dangerous current (which presumably would have swept Spicknall in the opposite direction of where he supposedly emerged from the water east of the bridge) and the scarcity of pedestrians or hitchhikers on the bridge.

Many said they were quickly reminded of the case of Susan Smith...

In 2002 Spicknall was sentenced to LWOP plus more after pleading guilty to murder. He was killed by a fellow inmate in 2006.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/daily/sept99/carjack10.htm
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/24996/missing-children
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2006-12-12/news/0612120112_1_spicknall-car-seats-children

 

[JanetElaine]

Very good initiative this thread, Rayemonde. While at the same time probably being one of the most stomach turning threads here ever, with all these cases listed one after the other.

 

[Rayemonde]

Grace Lillian Ford, 2 years old, 2014, Texas.

Melinda Muniz was watching her boyfriend's daughter, Grace. She was talking to him on the phone when he heard a commotion on her end of the line. He phoned 911 for a welfare check.

Grace Lillian Ford, 2, was found unconscious in a crib, her mouth covered with duct tape...

Muniz was found on the floor of another room with her mouth taped shut and her pants pulled down.

Muniz told police that an unknown male had sexually assaulted her...

detectives uncovered surveillance video showing that Muniz went to a nearby dollar store with Grace riding in the shopping cart as Muniz purchased duct tape, zip ties, kitchen shears, and cotton swabs just hours before police were called to the apartment.

When police started to ask questions, Muniz faked amnesia. After she was arrested, she told police that Grace had accidentally died in an arts and crafts project gone wrong after duct taping her own face, and she had staged the home invasion because she was scared of getting into trouble.

In 2015 Muniz was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to LWOP.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/01/29/father-girlfriend-toddler-death/5021715/

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?231532-TX-Grace-Lillian-Ford-2-murdered-in-Plano



Note: I found this case interesting because at first a lot of sleuthers suspected the birth mother, who was perceived at having a lack of genuine grief at her daughter's death. She turned out to have absolutely nothing to do with it.

 

[PrimeSuspect]

Michael (3 yrs) and Alex (14 mths) SMITH, Union, Sth Carolina, US, Oct 25, 1994.

Susan Smith drove to a dark lake on the night of Oct. 25 and sent her car rolling into the water with her two little boys strapped inside in their car seats.

For nine days, Mrs. Smith looked into television cameras and mournfully begged a phantom carjacker, whom she described as a young black man with a gun, to bring her babies back.

Mrs. Smith confessed on Nov. 3, and her childrens' bodies were recovered later that day. Divers had missed the car in their first search of John D. Long Lake, a recreation area outside Union, because they did not search far enough into the lake.

A jury today decided that Susan Smith should not be put to death for the drowning of her two young sons, and instead should spend the rest of her life in prison, to remember. ( a chance of parole after 30 yrs)

http://www.nytimes.com/1995/07/29/u...or-woman-who-drowned-sons.html?pagewanted=all


Cheryl Lynn DOWNS, 7 yrs, Springfield, Oregon, May 19, 1983.

Diane Downs sped into an emergency room dropoff in Springfield, Ore., with a horrifying story to tell. Her three small children, Christie, 8; Cheryl, 7; and Danny, 3, were inside her blood-soaked car, shot at close range.

Downs had also been shot, in the left forearm, though her wound was not life threatening. Christie and Danny survived but were seriously injured.

Diane Downs, said she had taken her family, to visit a friend. On the way home, along a deserted rural road, she noticed a “bushy-haired stranger,” waving at her from the shoulder. Downs said she stopped to see if he needed help. He shoved a gun through the window and started shooting.
............

A break in the case finally came when investigators discovered Downs' secret diaries. They told of her obsession with a married man who didn't want her kids around.

Downs was sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years.

http://abcnews.go.com/2020/diane-downs-mother-shoots-children/story?id=10615736

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/sicko-mom-shoots-children-sign-love-article-1.1778790

 

[Elainera]

This thread ... these stories are incredibly sad :tears:

 

[Rayemonde]

Harmony Creech, 11 months old, 2007, North Carolina.

Harmony's father returned home from deployment in Iraq looking forward to seeing his baby girl, but he found the mother, Johni Heuser, asleep; the window open with the screen removed; and the baby (and most of her clothes) missing. Johni could be heard in the background of the 911 call shrieking and sobbing hysterically.

An Amber Alert was issued, but Harmony's body was found in the attic of the house the next day. She had been dead for weeks. Her mother said that she had found the baby dead in her crib, and had panicked and hidden the body. She was described by LE as being a habitual liar, and was charged with first-degree murder. An autopsy found the cause of death to be undetermined, but a second opinion found that chronic starvation and medical neglect may have contributed to her death.

In 2010 Johni Heuser pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 12 - 15 years in prison.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/2007/10/21/mother-charged-in-death-baby-girl-found-in-attic.html
http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/1954649/

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?55194-NC-Harmony-Creech-11-mos-Spring-Lake-Aug-2007

 

[PrimeSuspect]

Just cases where they covered it up by hiding the body and then lying about what happened, or don't hide the body but make up a story about a stranger killing the child or children... Otherwise it would be a very, very long list. And also feel free to add cases where other caregivers such as foster parents, step-parents, partner of a parent, or other close family members killed a child then covered it up.

It's so sad how often this happens I know a lot of people are very passionate about the Casey Anthony case, but really she didn't do anything new I've seen it speculated that more people have been hiding the bodies of their murdered children since she was found not guilty, because they think they can get away with it like she did... It would be interesting to see if that's true, or whether people are just more aware of these cases now.

I'm also going to add cases where the parents were named suspects but never charged, etc... I wonder if there's a common difference between cases where the parents were convicted of murder, and cases where they walked. And I'm also going to add parents who were wrongfully convicted - what made people so sure they were guilty when they weren't? And how can we avoid such mistakes in the future?

Susan Smith was the first that I can remember who made up the story of a stranger abducting her children. There were many before and after, but Susan's stood out because of her t.v appearances and her convincing portrayal of a grief stricken mother who wanted her children back.
Imo, since then the public have questioned child abductions. Public displays of emotion or none whatsoever seem to carry little weight these days.
It is a tragedy that it has come to this, that we cannot believe a parent/caregiver's story about their missing child.
Of course, it's the ones who've harmed their child/ren and tried to escape justice who are responsible for this reaction, they've not only harmed their own child/ren but every child that is reported missing. Their damage to children is on a grand scale, imo. Makes me mad just thinking about it.

 

[Rayemonde]

Zoe Evans, 9 years old, 1997, England (Wiltshire).

Stepfather Miles Evans pleaded for Zoe's return at a news conference after she disappeared.

Choking back tears, Evans appeared at a press conference following Zoe's disappearance in January last year, and promised that the nine-year-old would not be in trouble if she came home. She would be given "lots of cuddles and hugs" and there would be a puppy waiting for her as an early birthday present...

His halting performance at the press conference where he refused to meet the eye of reporters and detectives, had led police directly to him.

He was not the first to have thought he could fool detectives and the media call is becoming an increasingly common weapon for police trying to break down a murder suspect.

Six weeks later, her body was found about half a mile away from the family home, buried in an old badger sett. In 1998 Evans was convicted of murder for taking him from her bed, assaulting her and suffocating her to death before burying her. He was sentenced to life in prison.



http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/73025.stm
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/lying-stepfather-sentenced-to-life-for-zoes-murder-1154048.html

 

[al66pine]

Oct 4, 2011 early morning hours, 10 m/o baby Lisa Irwin was reported missing from home by mother Deborah Bradley in Kansas City Mo.

Mother, in relationship & living w baby Lisa's bio-father Jeremy Irwin, was still married to estranged husband. Lisa had 2 half brothers, ages ~5 & 8 y/o, thru mom.
Unusual family dynamics.
Major MSM coverage for months.
Parent appeared multiple times on nat'l MSM.
Some inconsistent stories from various ppl.
LE & public hinky meters soared over immed & extended family, neighbors, passers-by, et al.
Both mom & dad came under heavy scrutiny by LE & public.
Shortly after disappearance, they lawyered up w high profile NYC crim atty Tacopina, http://www.tacopinalaw.com/attorneys/.

Still no remains have bn found and officially an open case.

Lots of threads here on W/S. Summary: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Lisa_Irwin.

ETA: many similarities to other cases of young children reported missing. Sad, sad, sad.

 

[eileenhawkeye]

There's a graph here that shows three-decades of data of children killed by their parents:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/09/10/parents-kill-children-fbi-data/15280259/

 

[Rayemonde]

Currently awaiting trial:

Daniel Dana, 5 years old, 2015, Maryland.

Police found mother Narges Shafeirad lying on the ground by her crashed, burning car. Her son was dead inside. Police found that the fire had been started intentionally, and toxicology revealed that he had died of Diphenhydramine intoxication. Police say his mother had forced him to drink a whole bottle of Benadryl, hours before a custody hearing for Daniel was due to take place.

She had put his body in the car, started a fire in the car with gasoline and then intentionally crashed it, staging an accident to cover up her crime. She received first and second degree burns over 40% of her body.
She was charged more than a month later with first-degree murder and first-degree arson.

http://www.fox5dc.com/news/5005619-story

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

The disappearance of Haleigh Cummings from Satsuma, Florida received extensive national coverage. The little girl (or remains) have never been found. Several POIs named but no arrests or charges in the case. Suspicious behavior by Haleigh's father and his girlfriend on the night the child disappeared; both are currently incarcerated on drug charges. Family members pointed fingers at other family members.

Police Say 5-Year-Old Haleigh Cummings is Dead, Identify Persons of Interest in Case

By Emily Friedman April 16, 2010

Haleigh Cummings, the 5-year-old who vanished from her father's Florida home more than a year ago, is believed to be dead and investigators said that they've identified several people of interest.

Speaking from the edge of the St. John's River, where divers have scoured the murky waters for traces of the little girl for the past three days, Putnam County Sheriff Jeff Hardy said Thursday the case is now a homicide investigation.

"Over the past few weeks, information has been obtained by investigators that lead them to believe that Haleigh Cummings is most likely deceased," Hardy told reporters...

http://abcnews.go.com/US/investigators-missing-girl-haleigh-cummings-dead/story?id=10393476

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?322-Haleigh-Cummings

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...nk-is-responsible-for-Haleigh-s-Disappearance

 

[Kadoober]

Barway Collins, Age 10, Crystal MN.

March 18 2015. Barway was reported missing after he supposedly didn't come home from school. Video taken of him on the school bus home shows him exclaiming 'there's my dad!'
His 'dad', Pierre Collins, denied any involvement. Barways body was found in the Mississippi River on April 11th by a local boy scout troop.

Pierre pled guilty to killing Barway, stating that he was supposed to go home immediately after school, but that he instead went to play outside. Pierre hit him, and he was unresponsive, so he bound him and threw him into the river.

However.... 2 days prior to Barway going missing, Pierre was trying to increase the amount of life insurance he had on Barway, so I am not sure his story flies with me.

Pierre was sentenced to 40 years for killing his son.

http://www.twincities.com/2015/08/02/father-of-barway-collins-i-killed-my-son/

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Another case where suspicion was cast on parent(s). Isabel Celis, 6, was allegedly abducted from her bedroom in the family home. Isabel (or remains) have not been found; no arrests/charges to date.

Isabel Celis: Father Of Missing Arizona Girl Barred From Contact With Sons (VIDEO)

05/13/2012 04:22 pm ET | Updated May 14, 2012

Sergio Celis, the father of missing Tucson girl Isabel Celis, has been barred from having contact with his two older sons by authorities.

According to a statement released Friday, new information in the case of the missing 6-year-old, who was reported missing by her father on April 21, led detectives to call Child Protective Services. ABC News reports that the Celis brothers are in the custody of their mother, Rebecca, who does not live with Sergio Celis...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/13/isabel-celis-father-of-missing-girl-barred_n_1513213.html

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?173262-What-happened-to-Isabel-Celis

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Websleuths poll re: Lisa Irwin disappearance.

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?164798-What-happened-to-Lisa-Irwin

 

[Rayemonde]

Currently awaiting trial:

Bryeon Hunter, 20 months old, 2013, Illinois.

Mother Lakesha Baker reported that whilst she was out, three Hispanic men had beaten her up and abducted the baby. Baker made her 4 year old child repeat the story back to her again and again so he would get it right for the police. An Amber Alert was issued and Baker appeared on TV appealing for the return of her son.

Within 3 days LE announced that the story was untrue, and Baker admitted that she had beaten Bryeon with a belt whilst her boyfriend Michael Scott covered his mouth to muffle his screams. They left him to die, then they had put him in a nearby river. They were both charged with first-degree murder.

Bryeon's body was found on a river bank a month after his disappearance. It took 4 months for DNA testing to confirm his identity.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/..._lakeshia-baker-bryeon-hunter-baker-and-scott
http://thevillagefreepress.org/2013/09/12/funeral-arrangements-set-for-toddler-bryeon-hunter/

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?205791-IL-Bryeon-Hunter-1-Maywood-16-April-2013

 

[Rayemonde]

Currently awaiting trial:

Tristan Matthew Blue, 2 years 10 months old, 2014, North Carolina.

An Amber Alert was issued after Tristan was reported missing by his parents on Christmas Eve 2014. They said he must have wandered away from their home. On Christmas day, the parents were arrested - the father (Steven Daniel Blue) was charged with murder and the mother (Briana Loriel Dangerfield) with misdemeanor child abuse. The mother's charges were soon upgraded to accessory after the fact of murder, altering or destroying evidence and failing to notify law enforcement of the death of her son.

The next day, Tristan's body was found in a lake. The father later admitted to smothering the toddler, and an autopsy report released in March 2016 found that Tristan had been beaten, cut and burnt.

http://www.wral.com/prosecutor-raleigh-dad-confessed-to-smothering-2-year-old-son/14425612/
http://www.wral.com/autopsy-finds-evidence-raleigh-toddler-had-been-beaten-cut-burned/15463218/

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?266437-NC-Tristan-Blue-2-Raleigh-22-December-2014

 

[Rayemonde]

Kenneth White, 5 years old, 2014, New York.


Tiffany VanAlystyne, age 19, was babysitting her cousin Kenneth White. Tiffany lived in a trailer with her mother, who had custody of Kenneth. She said that two men all dressed in black and wearing ski masks burst into the trailer and took Kenneth. An Amber Alert was issued, but Kenneth's body was soon found buried in the snow near the trailer.

“Things did not start to add up,” Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple said, noting that investigators got a search warrant for the home after they “caught some contradictions in a few different statements that were taken” from VanAlstyne.

VanAlystyne was arrested and charged with murder, and she admitted strangling the boy after becoming "a little frustrated" that he was getting the answers to a flash card quiz wrong. The other children in the home later said that she had hit them before.

In 2015, VanAlystyne pleaded guilty to second degree murder and was sentenced to 18 years to life in prison.

http://m.nydailynews.com/news/crime...e-new-york-boy-5-found-dead-article-1.2050824
http://m.timesunion.com/local/article/Exclusive-Tiffany-VanAlstyne-pleads-guilty-in-6654142.php

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?265784-NY-Kenneth-White-5-Berne-18-Dec-2014

 

[Rayemonde]

Amir Jennings, 18 months old, 2011, South Carolina.

Zinah Jennings told “a continuous web of lies” to family members for more than a month about Amir’s whereabouts before police finally learned about the situation...

Zinah Jennings gave law enforcement various stories about the boy being with relatives and friends in South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia. None checked out...

Prosecutors believed Amir was dead but were unable to produce his body or any evidence that he was no longer living. Consequently, they had to go for the lesser charge of unlawful conduct toward a child instead of homicide by child abuse...

Forensic scientists said blood belonging to Amir was found on a blanket inside Jennings’ car.

In 2012 Zinah Jennings was found guilty of unlawful conduct towards a child after witnesses testified to seeing her "kick Amir, squeeze him until he cried, leave him unrestrained in a car seat and allow him to wander unsupervised out of a bank’s door. Other testimony indicated that Zinah Jennings had a history of drug abuse and excessive drinking."
She was sentenced to 10 years in prison and is predicted to be released in 2017, with good behaviour. Amir has still not been found, and his mother has shown no remorse and little interest in where he might be.

Amir's case failed to get much media attention, and some have speculated that is is because he is a black boy, and the media favours white girls in missing children cases.

Http://www.thestate.com/news/local/crime/article13855889.html
http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/amir-jennings-missing-black-boy-white-girl_n_1868361.html

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?158812-SC-Amir-Jennings-18-mo-Columbia-Nov-2011